AuDN4T

Reflecting on current leadership on this world stage… is laughable. You have men with tiny hands thinking they’re God’s greatest creation. They’re compensating for their tiny wieners by unnecessary fireworks that could go to taking care of the people that they serve. I emphasize this – the people do not serve leadership. The leadership serves the people. They lead the country into a world that is great for everyone, not for the 2%.

I’ve seen quintessentially amazing leadership in young women who go on to protecting their friends, teachers and camp counsellors with the skills that they have been taught down by their grandparents.

When you have leadership this disconnected, they really do not understand what their purpose is.

Last night I reflected again on my time in Ukraine at the camp for orphans. It was a camp I wanted to attend way back into my childhood. I remember seeing news clips about it from the local Toronto Ukrainian news. The founder saw the effects of communism and Chornobyl on people and kids. The cycle of abuse, mental health, addiction issues. She worked on creating a safe space for these kids and created scholarships for these kids so that they could be successful citizens.

When I got there, I thought I was fine. I thought my mental health was in an ok place. But when I interacted with these kids. I spoke with them, got to know them, got to know their stories… you saw the trauma. And that is something I could relate to and I was not ready for. These kids had parents with addiction issues. They were taken away from their families and put in an orphanage – they were social orphans. If they could be placed with a family relative, they would be… just like the girl in the above photo kicking butt and saving us from the cow. This camp was a place to steer them away from that cycle, provide them with life skills. These kids were at risk of falling into the hands of predators – into the sex trade… or jail. This camp, these organizers, camp counsellors, teachers bond with these kids. They return every year. They have psychologists available to work with the kids. They have optometrists conduct eye examinations and provide glasses. We had one psychologist pass away during the start of the war (I don’t know the circumstances, but that really hurt to find out). We had another “grad” kid of the camp die in Kherson trying to evacuate people and bring in humanitarian aid. They couldn’t find him for a full year until Kherson was accessible or no longer occupied. These are true leaders… and they don’t do it for fame, they do it because someone took a chance on them or they saw that they needed to do what’s right. This all is a bandaid solution that the organizers understand and work with the government to get a more permanent system in place.

Being there, knowing their stories… knowing they have parents who have addiction issues. Seeing some think their parents will be around to take care of them. “I’m making this necklace for my mom.” …”I’m making this for my mom.” Not knowing that he will likely be let down by his mom. Another boy knew what it was like to be let down by his parents. I knew what that meant. And I knew the privilege I came from. I knew that I still had one parent who supported me. I understood the privilege I came from. I didn’t have to pay for university. I had an easier route in some sense…. yes… neurodivergence made it harder. But I had a leg up compared to these kids and that sucked knowing… because I was these kids, they were – in some sense – me but not entirely. I was them. I understood that trauma and that hurt.

Talking with the camp counsellors nearing the end of the camp, I kept saying, I just wish only the best for these kids. And another camp counsellor said, yeah, we all wish that for them – it felt like they thought I was stating the obvious that everyone thought this. But in a weird way, it felt like they didn’t truly understand that wish because I was a kid in an adult body with 10-15 years of brain experience over them who turned into a baby relating to their life experiences but also recognizing the privilege I had. It made me feel helpless.

Andriy, the boy who kept talking about making gifts at camp for his mom was from Mariupol. Mariupol was hell. They created hell for people there. Russia killed ~1,200 people in the theatre. They ended up just cementing over it and building another theatre…. how do we feel about a building that is a sacred place, no different from Auschwitz… do we really want to watch a play in a theatre where 1,200 people were killed? Is it a place you want to sit and laugh?

Watching “20 Days in Mariupol”… put me through a depression. It is a very heavy watch. You end up leaving feeling empty. And to this day, I don’t know if Andriy is safe and ok. I do recommend watching the documentary, but I warn that you really need to prepare psychologically.

I think this is where Drumpft fails as a human being. There’s only ego without caring for humanity.

If there was any sort of humanity in his family, I think they’d have to have a hard look at their history and what is currently happening in the US. I’ve met many really amazing Americans, there are smart Americans out there… but oppressing people the way the government and corporations are currently doing… you may want to step down. You may also want to review how you want to proceed with those Epstein files. Is this how you see a world with your kids in it? You either do good or you do evil. What do you think is right? Do you want to be associated with that stain? Are you truly happy?

How do we see this world? How do we see our countries? How do we see our friends and neighbours? Do we want to see destruction and death? For what? Someone flexing with their ego and making money on death and torture? What kind of example does that give to your kids, grandkids?

I prefer to uplift those who care about others, are not afraid to call out wrongs and make a change in this world.

Gen Z, Gen Alpha – I’m sorry this world sucks. Hoping we can make some positive changes. ❤

Millennials – it’s been a rough ride, let’s figure this out – maybe we have to be those fixers of this fucked up world.

Gen X – I’ve learned that we don’t mess with you, and respect the heck out of you – you’ve seen some stuff… come on, let’s fix this shit.

Boomers / Silent Generation – I know we’ve had our differences… and that’s ok. Some of you know when things are wrong. Some of you may need some explanations and that’s ok…. but you can see how things are getting worse and we need to unite to fight evil and make this world safer.